NEW YORK, Dec 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Liquid Comics and Tiger Hill Entertainment today announced the launch of the first four episodes in a 13 episode animated web series from acclaimed filmmaker, John Woo (Mission Impossible 2, Face-Off, Red Cliff). The series is being released exclusively on Machinima (YouTube.com/Machinima), with new batches of episodes to be distributed every two weeks. The animated series is an adaptation of the graphic novel, Seven Brothers, created by Woo, with writer Garth Ennis and artist Jeevan J. Kang.

“For me, working in comics is quite comfortable – it’s like the ultimate storyboard. The original Seven Brothers graphic novel, and this new animated comic book series, takes the seed of an idea I had about famous Chinese folklore to a whole new level. It creates a modern, global story, and an art form that is unique and yet, clearly, a brother to the film medium,” said creator, John Woo.

“We at Machinima are excited to partner with the Liquid team and world-class action directors like John Woo,” said Allen DeBevoise, Chairman and CEO of Machinima, Inc. “Because of the strong overlap between the worlds of videogaming and comics, Machinima was the natural distribution outlet for this high-octane animated series, and we hope our global audience of over 118 million viewers will enjoy it. We’ll continue to partner with the best creative talent to produce and distribute more and more original content that resonates with the male 18-34 demo.”

Seven Brothers tells the story of how, six hundred years ago, long before history’s great explorers stole the credit for their feats, mighty Chinese treasure fleets set sail to reach every continent. These voyages of discovery left behind an evil legacy and a plot by a powerful Chinese sorcerer to dominate the world. Now, in modern day Los Angeles, an ancient prophecy must be fulfilled and seven men, with nothing in common but their destinies, must face the Son of Hell to save the world.

“Seven Brothers is a fusion of mythology and edge that only an icon like John Woo and the brilliant creative team behind Seven Brothers could pull off. It exemplifies how the best mythologies constantly transform and re-invent themselves when filtered through the imaginations of great artists,” commented Liquid Comics Co-Founder, Gotham Chopra.

“We are thrilled to work with John Woo and the teams at Machinima and Tiger Hill to bring this exciting story to audiences worldwide through digital platforms,” added Liquid Comics Co-Founder & CEO, Sharad Devarajan. “For Liquid, the future of comic books is about jumping from the printed page on to the digital screen and John Woo’s Seven Brothers is the perfect project to launch our new line of animated web shows.”